April 04, 2008

Ancient mtDNA of northeastern North America

American Journal of Physical Anthropology DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20835

Using ancient mtDNA to reconstruct the population history of northeastern North America

Beth Alison Schultz Shook et al.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was extracted and analyzed from the skeletal remains of 44 individuals, representing four prehistoric populations, and compared to that from two other prehistoric and several contemporary Native American populations to investigate biological relationships and demographic history in northeastern North America. The mtDNA haplogroup frequencies of ancient human remains from the Morse (Red Ocher tradition, 2,700 BP) and Orendorf (Mississippian tradition, 800 BP) sites from the Central Illinois River Valley, and the Great Western Park (Western Basin tradition, 800 BP) and Glacial Kame (2,900 BP) populations from southwestern Ontario, change over time while maintaining a regional continuity between localities. Haplotype patterns suggest that some ancestors of present day Native Americans in northeastern North America have been in that region for at least 3,000 years but have experienced extensive gene flow throughout time, resulting, at least in part, from a demic expansion of ancestors of modern Algonquian-speaking people. However, genetic drift has also been a significant force, and together with a major population crash after European contact, has altered haplogroup frequencies and caused the loss of many haplotypes.

3 comments:

The Algonquian speaking Amerindians are the ones who look extremely Dinaric?By the way because i am writing an article DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHICH IS THE OLDEST DINARIC SKULL FOUND IN THE OLD WORLD?It does n't matter if it's only some bones or the entire skull, skeleton, etc.I just want to know which is the older Dinaric finds in the Old World.If somebody has any references about sources (in English) that deal with this issue please let me know!If not a simple answer will do.Thanx.

The Dinaric type was just a brachycephalized type of Mediterranean, they dont all look alike nor are related..you dont really see such skulls until around the Bronze or Iron Age in any serious numbers, they'd be more outnumbered by Dolichocephalics and Mesocephalics. CI isnt a good indicator of race either. Often times the occipital flattening of Dinarics or so-called Armenoids was caused by the practice of cradling.

Yes. Some individuals from the Pacific Rim and Amerindians show some Dinaric features.Dinaric for some anthropologists like Coon is not a racial term but rather a process, a situation that happens when dolichocephalic skulls with long and thin noses mix with brachycephalic skulls with short or medium length noses which are thick.Anyway if someone knows which is the older Dinaric skull or generally fossil in the Old World please let me know!

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